Soda-water-bottling machine.



PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906.

W. G. WOOD. SODA WATER BOTTLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21. 1904.

,W WW Q h m6 1% m 17g Zion ze WILLIAM CHESTER WOOD, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE CROWN CORK AND SEAL COMPANY, OF BALTIMORE, MARY- LAND, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

SODA-WATER-BOTTLENG MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1906.

Application filed October 21,1904. Serial No. 229,414.

. W001), a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in 'Soda'-WaterBottling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Although mysaidimprovements are applicable to other machines wherein syrups are delivered into bottles prior to the ultimate filling operation, they are specially adapted for use in machines wherein a suitable head carries syrup-delivering devices and also capping appliances, and are particularly desirable and effective in the wellknown Crown soda-machines disclosed in United States Letters Patent issued to William Painter, July 26, 1898, No. 608,158, to which, if need be, reference may be had for further knowledge in this connection. A Crown "soda-machine embodies a head carrying a pendent syruptube, and also a filling-chamber which is accessible to the liquids to be bottled and contains means for properly inclosing a bottlehead, and also devices for applying closures to bottles charged with gaseous liquids under pressure. Said machines also embody a double-contact gage located on a supportingtable beneath the syrup-tube and fillingchamber and in such position with relation thereto that while one of the two gaging contacts will generally cause one bottle to properly receive the syrup-tube the other gaging contact will simultaneously cause a second bottle to centrally enter the fillingchamber when the head and table are moved into cooperative relation. Bottles are, however, quite frequently so out of form that they cannot stand upright on their bases, and it is not uncommon for them to have necks out of line with the body, so that either or both of these variations from a perfect bottle resultin serious injury sometimes to both the tube and the bottle. For partially obviating these results the syrup-tube has been provided with a long pointed tip to serve as a guide for 1 entering imperfect bottles, and if a bottle be but little out of line said tips are fully effects ive; but if a bottle be materially out of line and standing on its base the tip is liable to strike and break the glass, and to avoid in- 1 jury to the tips (as far as possible) they have required the use of specially hard and expensive metals, as well as expensive features of construction. Moreover, such tips involve the necessity for two or more small apertures 'fOI' the passage of syrup, and they are liable to frequent obstruction due to solid sugary accretions, necessitating clearance, involving labor and delay.

It is now to be understood that among the objects sought and attained by the use of my invention are substantial economy in the construction of the syrup-tube, as well as an avoidance of expensive components, and also a complete avoidance of the obstructive liability referred to, and in addition thereto to facilitate bottlingoperations as to speed and convenience and, to practically obviate breakage of bottles. For attaining these ends I have organized with the head of the machine a plain open-mouthed syrup-tube and a guide which is so proportioned, constructed, and arranged with relation to the end of the tube that the latter under no reasonable circumstances can ever strike the lip of a bottle on resentation forreceiving syrup, and also so that the bottle-head and neck may freely enter and occupy the guide, while inclosing the tube and permitting a free discharge of syrup from a point well down in the neck directly into the body of the bottle, and to permit a second bottle (supported at the same hori- Zontal plane) to occupy the filling-chamber and to receive its closure It is, however, to be also understood that substantially valuable results will accrue if my guide be employed with a pointed tube in avoidance of injury to it and to bottles, and hence I have provided for convenient and inexpensive attachment of the guide to the machine-head appropriate clauses of claim hereunto annexed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a portion of the head of a machine with my guide shown in section and also a portion of the bottle-supporting table with two bottles thereon, it being understood that the table and head are so organized with appropriate mechanism that they are intermittinglycarriedintocooperativerelations. F g.

' 2 1s a top view of the guide detached. Fig.

3 is a view of the 'same in side elevation, and Fig. 4 illustrates a variation in the construction of a han er-plate enabling vertical adjustment of the guide with re ation to the I mouth of the syrup-tube.

The head A of t e machine and the table B are each onl 'lpartially shown. The head has the usual filing and capping chamber a, shown in section, and also the syruping and valve attachment 1), these being united by means of a clamping-nut c on a bolt rojectin? from the mam portion of the hea at one si ethereof, The mechanism for placing the tablea'nd' head into cooperative relation not here shown, .it being lmmaterial whether the head or the table, orboth, be movable toward and from each other.

At the one side of the filling-chamber is the pendent syrup-tube d in communication with a source of su ply; A lever e is o eratively connected wit suitable valves w hich control the delivery of soda-Water and syrup in a I manner Well known and as fully described in the hereinbefore-mentioned Letters. Patent. Upon the table B there is the usual doublehead that one of its contacts at will prgfierly locate a bottle with reference to the ing-chambenthe other contact at 2 in like manner locating a second bottle wit its head and mouth in line with the syrup-tube, all as clearly indicated in the drawings. This bottle-gage depends for its accuracy upon peripheral contacts with bottles at or near their bases, these being seldom so out of form as to defeat the aging intended. The mouth of the filling-c amber admits of quite wide variation in the position of bottles; but the syrup-tube demands accurate alinement with the center of the bottle-head, and while the base-gage may always serve its cooperative ed upon with such imperfect bottles as cannot stand upriglht on their bases or those which, althou having ood bases, have necks more 'or fess inclined cm the axial line of the body of the bottle, and more especially such as may chance to embody both of the im erfections referred to.

he flaring annular guide 0 is intended to and does provide for asafe and reliable control of the heads and mouths of bottles, how-.

open at its lower end or mout purpose with perfect bottles it cannot be reeiasco either laterally or vertically, as shown in Fi s. 3 and 4, so that the guide may be mounted l oy clam ing the hanger-plate beneath the nut c,' whic with its bolt, heretofore only served to unite the main portions of the head. The vertical slot admlts of varied vertical adjustment of the uide, as may be desirable when a plied to 0 (1 machines; but with new, mac es the horizontal slot will be preferable, no variations being needed, and'the bolt can then wholly sup ort the guide instead of'relying upon the c ampin effect of the nut, as with the vertical slot. T is construction of the guide, its arm, and its hanger-plate is a valuable feature, because it enables the guide to be-readily and accuratel mounted, even by an unskilled person an without any metal working whatever, to any'of the many machines of the class indicated now out in service. The lateral arm is of such length and its hanger pllate of such thickness and the aperture 1n t e plate is so accurately located that when mounted on the bolt already'there and locked by the nut thereon the guide must occupy its proper relation to the syrup-tube, the operation of mounting involving only the momentary use of a wrench for loosening and ti htenin the nut.

- t will ie obvious that the guide may be composed of an suitable materials and that it may be varia 1y. constructed and mounted without departure from my invention; but, having durability, simplicity, and economy in view, brass is used, and the separately from the hanger and rovided with a rabbeted top, as shown, so t at it can be easily lathed and readily and firmly coupled to the arm or hanger by expanding the top .of the guide-body into a ring forming a art of the arm and having an ap ro riate yinclirlired inner surface, all as c ear yindlcated 111' 1g. 1. v I v shown in Fig. 1, the syru il-tube is fully I permitting free and prompt delivery of syrup with little, if any, liability of obstruction by sugary accretions. I

For securing best results the guide should be so posit oned as to locate the mouth of the tube in the plane or thesmalle'st diameter of the guide, which at that point is sufficiently greater than the diameter of the bottle-heads as to afiord ample annular space between the guide and tube for the free reception of a bottle-head. The length of the tu e is such as to del'ver syrup directly into the bod of the bottle instead of against the side of the neck, this latter being quite objectionable but if a shorter tube were used the guide might then be located wholly'below the end of the tube and yet afford safety to the tube and bottles, and should the usual po'nted ti be used the latter should be so located that it could never be hit by a bottle-head in entering the annular guide-space. In the separation main body made afforded .by providing of a bottle from the guide a ready passa e is the guide with a s ort upper flared surface g, extending from the smallest diameter to the top of the guide, thus insuring a smooth easy arting movement as between the guide an bottles.

In the operation of the machine a bottle is first charged with syru and then moved laterally beneath the fil ing-chamber, already containing a bottle-cap. A second bottle is then placed in the base-gage and the head and table placed into cooperative relation, so that as the first enters thefillin head the second bottle receives or incloses the syrup-tube. The manipulation of the lever e causes a proper dellvery of syrup to the second bottle and gasand water to the first. A further movement of the head or table (as indicated in dotted lines) results in capping the first, and then the head and table are so separated as to free the two bottles, permit the one filled to be removed, the one with syrup moved laterally, and another placedinproper position below the syrup-tube, and so on as already described, it being understood that the filling-chamber is capable of being tightly closed around the head and neck of a bottle.

Although bottles of a given set are intended to be as near equal in height as is racticable, they nevertheless vary consi erably above and below the average height, and should one of the shortest the filling-chamber and one of the longest at the syrup-tube this latter must have ample clearance or head space when the head of the short bottle occupies its capping posit on. To make this clear, it may the dotted line as, Fig. 1, fairly indicates the height to which heads of bottles of uniform height would be carried during the final or capping operation. Should, however the bottle at the cap chance to be especially short and the one at the table especlally long, the head of the latter might need to even artly enter the annular space indicated at the top of the tube, so as to avoid obstructing the rise of the other bottle to its proper capping be assumed that,

bottles be within position, my guide rendering the entire upper portion of thetube availab e for head-space.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a soda-water-bottlin machine, the

combination with the fillingead restricted to the passa e of gaseous liquids, of a ent syrup-tu e, and a flarin annular guide carried at the one side by theiead, encircling the tube, extending below its end and affording an annular space ample for the free reception and assage of abottle-head and its nec while inc osing the tube, substantially as described.

2. In' a soda'-waterbottling machine, the comb nation of a pendent open mouthed syrup-tube, and a flaring annular guide carried in appropriate relation to tube, adapted to freely receive the head and neck of a bottle, and to guide the head into line with and thereby cause a bottle to inclose said tube, and enable syrup to be directly and freely the bottle, substantially as described.

3. The flaring annular bottle-guide ada ed to cooperate with a syrup-tube in a so abottling machine of the class indicated, bv allowing the free passage of the heads of bottles guided by it, and rovided with a lateral arm terminating in a hanger-plate rectangular tothe arm and provided with an accurately-located aperture substantially as described, whereby without any special preparation therefor, the guide may be readily mounted in appropriate relation to the syruptube but who y free therefrom, said aperture then being occupied by a bolt already in the head of the machine, and locked for service by the nut already on said bolt.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM CHESTER WOOD.

delivered into the body of- 

